The Six-Legged Solution
The demon Arunasura had thought very carefully about his boon. He asked to be invincible against any being with two legs or four legs. This covered everything he could think of — humans, gods, animals, birds.
He conquered the three worlds. The gods went to Brahma and Vishnu and then to the goddess.
The goddess noted his boon's limitation. It covered two and four legs. It said nothing about six legs.
The Swarm
The goddess became Bhramari — she filled the sky with black bees. Not one bee, not a thousand, but millions upon millions — a darkness of bees that covered the sun.
Each bee had six legs.
The swarm descended on Arunasura's army. It was unstoppable. Within moments, the army was gone. Arunasura himself was covered and stung until he fell.
The Form of Fierce Grace
Bhramari is one of the forms described in the Devi Mahatmya's final chapter — a form the goddess will take in future ages when creation needs her specific power.
The story is theologically important for showing that the goddess is infinitely creative in her means — she does not need a sword when bees will serve, she does not need to match force with force when she can find the gap in the opponent's logic.
She is worshipped particularly in Bengal and in the Himalayan foothills, associated with the humming life of the forest.